Lydden Hill Race Circuit

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Lydden Hill Race Circuit
Lydden Hill Race Circuit track map.svg
Location Wootton, Kent, United Kingdom
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
BST (April–October, UTC+1)
Coordinates 51°10′38.59″N1°11′58.69″E / 51.1773861°N 1.1996361°E / 51.1773861; 1.1996361
FIA Grade 6R (Rallycross)
OperatorPat Doran
Opened1955
ArchitectBill Chesson
Former namesLydden Circuit
Major eventsFormer:
FIA World Rallycross Championship
World RX of Great Britain (2014–2017)
FIA European Rallycross Championship
Euro RX of Great Britain (1973–1976, 1978–1992, 1996, 2009–2018, 2023)
Nitro RX (2022)
Titans-RX Europe (2019)
Full Circuit
Length1.000 miles (1.609 km)
Turns4
Race lap record0:38.300 (Rob Cox, Lola LC88, 1989, F1)
Rallycross Circuit
Length0.870 miles (1.400 km)
Turns4

Lydden Hill Race Circuit (formerly known as Lydden Circuit) is a motorsport venue in Denton with Wootton, about half-way between Canterbury and Dover in Kent, England. The mile-long circuit is mainly used for Rallycross, Drift, Saloon and Sports car racing as well as Motorcycle racing.

Contents

It is the shortest road racing circuit in the United Kingdom. The track was previously owned by the McLaren Group and is one of two motor racing circuits in the county of Kent, along with Brands Hatch.

History

View of Dover Slope and Devils Elbow on Lydden Hill Race Circuit View of Chessons Drift on Lydden circuit race track.jpg
View of Dover Slope and Devils Elbow on Lydden Hill Race Circuit

Lydden was founded in 1955 by Bill Chesson with the help of the Astra Motor Club. From 1957, they promoted stock-car racing and grass-track racing for motorcycles. By 1962, Chesson wanted to progress and laid a tarmac track in order to promote motor and motorcycle road racing. The original plan was for a 1-mile circuit, but this scheme had to be put on hold when the tarmac ran out at what is known as the Devil’s Elbow; the result was the short circuit.

In 1965, tarmac asphalt was laid for hosting car racing up to Formula Three.

On 4 February 1967, the sport of Rallycross was born at Lydden, thought up by TV producer Robert Reed and race organiser Bud Smith in co-operation with Chesson. Combining tarmac and non-tarmac elements, the inaugural race was won by Vic Elford in a Porsche 911. Since 1973, Lydden Circuit has seen rounds of Embassy/ERA European Rallycross Championships and FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers, the first 23 were all organised by the Thames Estuary Automobile Club (TEAC). To this day, Lydden, as the so-called "Home of Rallycross", still holds British Rallycross Championship racing.

On 9 September 1968, then-unknown English driver James Hunt recorded his first race win driving a Russell-Alexis Mk14 Formula Ford car. Hunt would return on 5 May 1969, this time driving a Motor Racing Enterprises entered Merlyn Mk11A, and recorded his second ever win.[ citation needed ]

By 1986, the RAC Motor Sports Association (MSA) was pressurising Bill Chesson to erect Armco barriers, but he refused to do so, on the grounds that they would be dangerous to the motorcycle-racing fraternity. When RAC MSA threatened to refuse him a new circuit permit, he put it up for sale. Tom Bissett bought the circuit.

From 2008 the new lease holder was the British Rallycross Champion Pat Doran.

On 24–25 May 2014, Lydden Hill played host to the newly formed FIA World Rallycross Championship. The event was run under similar principles to the FIA European Rallycross Championship in the previous few years, but with the likes of Petter Solberg and Liam Doran being notable drivers competing in the championship.

The American Nitro Rallycross series raced at Lydden Hill to begin the 2022–23 season on 18–19 June. Lydden Hill is the first track to host Nitro RX outside North America. [1]

European rallycross returns

Pat Doran and his Ford Fiesta, Lydden 2006 PatDoran2006.jpg
Pat Doran and his Ford Fiesta, Lydden 2006

The opening round of the 2009 FIA European Rallycross Championship (ERC) brought top flight Rallycross back to Lydden Hill. The last European Rallycross event at Lydden Hill Race Circuit was hosted in 1996. As all kind of things can change over a period of 12 years time, at least one thing didn't change ... After being declared winner of the 1996 European event at Lydden in the main Division, multiple champion Kenneth Hansen (Citroën C4) cruised to victory again in Division 1 on Easter Monday (13 April).

When ERC returned at the end of May 2010, Norwegian Sverre Isachsen (Ford Focus ST), celebrated his first victory in the European Championship as he beat multiple champion Kenneth Hansen (Citroën C4) and local guy Liam Doran (Citroën C4) in the Division 1 'A' final.

About 13,500 people spent Easter 2011 at Wootton, attending the opening round of the 2011 ERC. Specially for the Norwegian fans among them it was a great weekend as the victories in all of the three racing categories went to Norway. Sverre Isachsen (Ford Focus Mk2) was on the highest step of the SuperCars podium on Monday afternoon. Before already Andreas Bakkerud (Renault Clio Mk2) and Lars Øivind Enerberg (Ford Fiesta ST RWD) did the same in the Super1600 and Touring Cars classes.

There were no first qualifying heats on day 1 of the opening round of the 2012 ERC as problems with the start systems made the Clerk of the Course decide to run the first heat on Monday. Therefore, the 2012 championship started in a similar way as previous year's championship ended when at Sosnová in the Czech Republic during the final round the first heats also had to be postponed until the other day. With the absence of defending champion Sverre Isachsen the door is now open for last year's runner-up Tanner Foust (Ford Fiesta Mk7) to start the season with a victory. [2]

The opening round of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship was held over the Easter holiday, at Lydden Hill, with victory going to the American Tanner Foust in his Ford Fiesta for the second year running, only after reigning ERC champion Timur Timerzyanov for dropped back with a punctured tyre. [3]

World Rallycross Championship

In 2014, the FIA World Rallycross Championship arrived in Kent for Round Two. Ford Olsbergs MSE driver Andreas Bakkerud won, after a near perfect run. Robin Larsson claimed the runner’s-up spot in his Audi A1 Supercar, with Britain’s Andrew Jordan ending the event third in front of his home crowd. [4]

In July 2023, the FIA World Rallycross Championship was due to race for the first time since 2017. On the eve of the first heat, The garage caught the massive blaze and the Special ONE Lancia Delta RX1e's are destroyed instantly. Their had to cancel the event. Sebastien Loeb and Guerlain Chicherit had to withdraw from the championship.

Rallycross track records

Current events

Major events

Local meetings

Major race results

European rallycross

Martin Schanche (N) and his Ford Escort XR3 T16 4 x 4, Lydden 1984 MartinSchancheXtrac1984.jpg
Martin Schanche (N) and his Ford Escort XR3 T16 4 x 4, Lydden 1984
Action from the 2016 World RX of Great Britain Mattias Ekstrom (Audi S1 EKS RX quattro) (27211434172).jpg
Action from the 2016 World RX of Great Britain
YearRaceDriverCar
1973ERC Rd. 5 Flag of Austria.svg Frank Wurz VW 1302 S 2.2
ERC Rd. 7 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan de Rooy DAF 55 Coupé (Ford BDA engine)
1974ERC Rd. 7 Flag of Sweden.svg Stig Blomqvist Saab 96 V4 1.9
ERC Rd. 8 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tom Airey BMC Mini Cooper S 1.4
1975ERC Rd. 7 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tom Airey BMC Mini Cooper S 1.4
1976ERC Rd. 8 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dick Riefel Porsche Carrera
ERC Rd. 10 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg John Taylor Ford Escort RS1800 BDA
1978ERC Rd. 8 GT Division Flag of Austria.svg Andy Bentza Lancia Stratos
1979ERC Rd. 8 GT Division Flag of Sweden.svg Olle Arnesson Porsche Carrera
1980ERC Rd. 9 GT Division Flag of Sweden.svg Olle Arnesson Porsche 911 SC
1981ERC Rd. 9 GT Division Flag of Finland.svg Matti Alamäki Porsche SC Carrera
1982ERC Rd. 8 Division 2 Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche Ford Escort RS1800 Turbo
1983ERC Rd. 8 Division 2 Flag of Sweden.svg Rolf Nilsson Porsche SC Carrera
1984 ERC Rd. 7 Division 2 Flag of Finland.svg Seppo Niittymäki Porsche BiTurbo 4x4
1985 ERC Rd. 7 Division 2 Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche Ford Escort XR3 T16 4x4
1986ERC Rd. 7 Division 2 Flag of Finland.svg Seppo Niittymäki Ford Escort XR3 T16 4x4
1987ERC Rd. 10 Division 2 Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche Ford RS200 E2
1988ERC Rd. 10 Division 2 Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche Ford RS200 E2
1989ERC Rd. 10 Division 2 Flag of Finland.svg Matti Alamäki Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2
1990ERC Rd. 10 Division 2 Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche Ford RS200 E2
1991ERC Rd. 1 Division 2 Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche Ford RS200 E2
1992ERC Rd. 1 Division 2 Flag of Norway.svg Martin Schanche Ford RS200 E2
1996ERC Rd. 6 Division 2 + Flag of Sweden.svg Kenneth Hansen Citroën ZX T16 4x4
2009ERC Rd. 1 Division 1 Flag of Sweden.svg Kenneth Hansen Citroën C4 T16 4x4
2010ERC Rd. 1 Division 1 Flag of Norway.svg Sverre Isachsen Ford Focus ST T16 4x4
2011ERC Rd. 1 Division 1 Flag of Norway.svg Sverre Isachsen Ford Focus Mk2 T16 4x4
2012ERC Rd. 1 Division 1 Flag of the United States.svg Tanner Foust Ford Fiesta Mk7 T16 4x4
2013ERC Rd. 1 Division 1 Flag of the United States.svg Tanner Foust Ford Fiesta Mk7 T16 4x4

+ ran in conjunction with the British Rallycross Grand Prix [2] [3] [5]

FIA World Rallycross

World RX layout of Lydden Hill Race Circuit, used in 2014-2017 Lydden Hill - Rallycross.svg
World RX layout of Lydden Hill Race Circuit, used in 2014-2017
YearClassDriverCar
2014 Supercar Flag of Norway.svg Andreas Bakkerud Ford Fiesta ST
2015 Supercar Flag of Norway.svg Petter Solberg Citroën DS3
2016 Supercar Flag of Sweden.svg Mattias Ekström Audi S1
2017 Supercar Flag of Norway.svg Petter Solberg Volkswagen Polo GTI

[6] [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "Nitro Rallycross announces first global series". Racer . 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 "rallycross.com". rallycross.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 Tremayne, Sam. "Lydden European Rallycross: Tanner Foust wins season opener". Autosport.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  4. ↑ Ridge, Hal. "Lydden World Rallycross: Bakkerud wins, Jordan takes podium". Autosport.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  5. ↑ http://www.erc24.com/history%5B‍%5D
  6. ↑ "FIA World Rallycross Championship". www.fiaworldrallycross.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  7. ↑ Ridge, Hal. "Lydden World Rallycross: Petter Solberg beats Mattias Ekstrom". Autosport.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
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